This invention relates to a steering mechanism for use with medical catheters or other devices which need to be positioned in difficult locations.
In many medical procedures, it is necessary to position a catheter at a location within a patient's body. A typical emplacement for the distal end of a catheter might be within a ventricle of the heart, by way of the femoral vein. In so passing a catheter through the femoral vein, it is necessary to avoid obstructions, vessel junctions and like, and to make sharp turns to position the distal end of the catheter within the ventricle. Other medical procedures involve similar difficulties in placing a catheter.
In conventional catheters used today, the tip of the catheter may be bent, or may include a stylet which is bent, such that a semipermanent curve is given to the distal end of the catheter so that a physician may guide the distal end thereof towards the treatment location. A disadvantage with this type of apparatus is that the curvature of the bend is not adjustable while the catheter is in the body, and any change in the curvature requires the physician to remove the catheter and reshape the distal end.
There is a need for a steering mechanism for catheters and other devices wherein the distal end of the device can be manipulated at will from a location outside the patient's body or outside the apparatus in which the device is placed. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a steering mechanism, and in particular to provide such a mechanism which provides a wide range of steerability.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a mechanism which may be completely manipulated with one hand.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a steering mechanism wherein the distal end of the mechanism may be bent into varying shapes for placement in different positions while the mechanism is in use.
Other objects and advantages will more fully appear in the course of the following discussion.